Tim Hartzell

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Have you ever noticed that people do awful things to each other? Silly question, right? We’ve all been on the receiving end of rude and hurtful behavior. And if we care to admit it, we’ve also dished out our fair share, even if unintentionally. We live in a tough world and trespasses happen all the

What has more value, gold or water? Before you answer that question, let me tell you a little story. Wilbur had done his research. Native American folklore, geological surveys and several productive scouting trips had him convinced that there was gold in the high desert. He sold nearly everything he owned to finance his expedition

The church was packed and overflowing with people — a rather unusual sight for our little country church. It was Sunday, September 11, 1988. Even JD was at church — and for JD to be at church was a big deal. But before I go any further, let me explain the backstory to this momentous

Over the years, my side hustle has always been construction. I have worked on several construction crews and most of them kept a specialized tool on hand called an attitude adjuster. This tool is employed whenever a piece of material is stuck. The application of the tool is usually enough to get the material unstuck.

I was motivated to write this series of articles after reading the awful news concerning Pennsylvania and the number of institutional child sexual abuse cases that have taken place over several decades. I’m sure many of you read those same articles and were as heartbroken as I was. Institutional child sexual abuse takes place any

My first assignment in full-time ministry was at a very nice church that just happened to be in the middle of nowhere in Western PA. I was hired to be the youth pastor. It was the summer of 1986. I was fresh out of college and newly married. Sure seems like a long time ago.

My last two articles addressed the painfully divisive nature of prejudice. In those articles, I tried to broaden our understanding of prejudice and the damage that it causes — and I purposefully left out any reference to separate races (African, Asian, European, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, etc.). You may have noticed that and wondered why. In

The word prejudice simply means to pre-judge. When we pass judgment on someone before we know anything about him or her, we are guilty of prejudice. I grew up in a very prejudiced environment — and then I became a victim of my own prejudice. Let me tell you about it. When I was about

I had intended to write this article on Martin Luther King Day, but my schedule just wouldn’t allow for it. I guess it’s better late than never — at least I hope so. The reason I felt motivated to write this article was that a very special friend of mine went home to be with

In last week’s article, I wrote about the incredible migratory journey of the fragile Monarch butterfly to illustrate the powerful instinct to worship that God has placed in every human being. Well, my ADD kicked again this week, and I found myself studying about the amazing migratory habits of a little bird that weighs in